LAUNCHES

Gratuitous
sex...

Japan's sixth H-2 rocket successfully launched NASA's Tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and a docking experiment.
(In case you're counting: the fifth H-2 mission has been postponed
until next year.) It was the first H-2 launch with a foreign
satellite on board.

The launch was delayed after an irregularity in engine data had
been detected. The two-stage rocket finally blasted off 47 minutes
later than scheduled from Tanegashima Space Centre and 14 minutes
later released TRMM into orbit. The U.S. satellite, equipped with a
Japanese precipitation radar system, is designed to measure rainfall
in the Earth's tropical regions from space. Owing to its heavy weight
and its low orbit (350 kilometres,) it has a design life of just
three years.

According to the National Space Development Agency of Japan
(NASDA,) ground stations confirmed that TRMM deployed solar panels
and started solar acquisition 17 minutes after the launch.

There's a bit more confusion about the docking experiment
officially dubbed Engineering Test Satellite VII (ETS-VII.) Its name
was also given as Kiku 7, but as if that wasn't enough to confuse
anybody, it actually comprises two satellites by the names of
"Orihime" and "Hikoboshi."

"The ETS-VII satellite is scheduled to conduct rendezvous
docking experiments and robot arm experiments. The rendezvous docking
technology is essential for food and fuels supply to a space station.
In the coming space era, space robots will also be indispensable to
repair external facilities on the station," NASDA president Isao
Uchida said in a statement.

...and
violence in space

A formal agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and
the Russian Space Agency confirms that a Russian Proton launcher will
lift ESA's Integral satellite into space in 2001.

In return, Russian astronomers will have about a quarter of the
observing time on Integral, as it examines gamma-ray sources in the
Universe. Gamma-ray astronomy offers special insights into some of
the most violent events in the Universe, including gamma-ray bursts
and activity close to black holes.

In April 2001, the four-stage Proton rocket will put Integral's
mass of nearly 4 tonnes into a very high orbit. Orbiting the Earth
every 48 hours, never approaching closer than 46,000 kilometres,
Integral will avoid the Earth's radiation belts and will be capable
of observing the universe for 24 hours a day.

ESA said in a statement that NASA will take part in the mission
too, with ground stations in its Deep Space Network helping to
maintain 24-hour operation. [Wasn't that network designed to scan the
skies for signals from intelligent life forms in outer space? Well,
at least they now have a sensible use for that.]

SATELLITES

Telesat's
new birds

As reported yesterday, the Canadian federal government has
allowed Telesat Canada to launch two new satellites in 2000. Telesat,
Canada's satellite communications company, welcomed the decision.

It said in a statement that the new Anik-F satellites, which will
carry broadcasting, telecommunications and wireless communications
services, will replace today's Anik E satellites when they reach the
end of their service lives.

"This is a very important announcement for all Canadians,
because it ensures Canada will enter the 21st century with the
world's most powerful and cost-effective satellite communications
system," said Larry Boisvert, Telesat's president and CEO.

By supporting its plans to build and launch the Anik F satellites,
the federal government ensures a seamless transition of service
between the Anik Es and the new satellites, Telesat said. Like the
Anik Es, the Anik F satellites will play a critical role in Canada's
communications infrastructure.

No
more monkeys in space

Last January, Russia put two monkeys in a capsule called
Bion-11 and sent them on a two-week space flight. Both returned
unharmed. One of them, called Multik, however didn't survive the
treatment by specialists of the Russian "Institute for Medical
and Biological Problems."

He died when they tried to take samples of muscle and bone cells,
whereas his co-cosmonaut Lapik survived the operation (Sat-ND,
9.1.97.) The sudden death of Multik was widely reported, and NASA
(which participates in the Bion programme) soon let it be known that
it had "determined that this risk is unacceptable and is
therefore discontinuing its participation in the primate experiments
on Bion 12."

Yevgeny Ilyin, Deputy Director of the "Institute for Medical
and Biological Problems," was upset: "This accident and the
'greens' movement influenced NASA, and it suggested that monkeys be
replaced by rats" (Sat-ND, 23.4.97.)

Unfortunately, this is exactly what is going to happen. According
to Itar-Tass, the Russian Space Agency and NASA will soon sign an
agreement about the Bion-12 mission  now with rats and mice on
board. Those animals have a big advantage over monkeys: they can
usually be killed and disposed of quietly without any protest from
the public.

However, Bion-12 will be delayed by a few years  it will not
be launched in 1998 as originally planned but in summer 2000.
Itar-Tass said that although it has not been decided how many animals
will be put into space, the satellite is likely to carry 35-40 rats
and over 40 mice.

The rats and mice will be used to study the zero gravity effect on
live organisms, Yevgeny Ilyin was quoted as saying. So why don't they
study the zero gravity effect on, say, Yevgeny Ilyin and the rest of
the "Institute for Medical and Biological Problems"? Shoot
'em up!

BUSINESS

Gentlemanly
competition

Britain's ITN has, as expected, taken control of the ailing
all-news channel Euronews (sat-ND, 7.10.97.) It's the first time ITN,
which so far supplied news shows to Britain's commercial stations,
will operate a TV channel on their own.

"This is a significant step for ITN. In a sense, we're taking
our destiny into our own hands," ITN chief executive Stewart
Purvis was quoted as saying. ITN was the only bidder interested in
Alcatel Alsthom's 49-percent stake in Euronews, a loss-making
multi-lingual news channel available to viewers in Europe and parts
of the Middle East.

The balance will stay with European public broadcasters including
France Television, RAI of Italy, RTVE of Spain and SSR of
Switzerland. They will, according to ITN, keep out of the day-to-day
business but be consulted on "major issues." [How
generous.]

ITN plans to improve the channel's quality, devote more time to
news segments, and increase Euronews' distribution in Europe and
elsewhere. It aims for the channel to break even in two years' time,
hoping for increased revenues from programme licences and
pan-European advertising [which, as many other channels have
impressively demonstrated in the past, does not work at all.]

ITN will become a competitor to well-known news channels such as
Sky News, BBC World, and CNN  which is a bit delicate as
Euronews and CNN share some news gathering operations. "To a
certain extent, we're competing with CNN, but in quite a gentlemanly
way," ITN's Purvis said.

Shaw
takes Telelatino stake

The Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has
approved Shaw Communications' acquisition of a 20 percent interest in
Telelatino Network, a Canadian cable service specialising in Italian
and Spanish programming.

"We're delighted to include Telelatino in our portfolio of
programming interests," said John Cassaday, President of Shaw
Media. "The service has done well in establishing its presence
in key markets and we look forward to working with our new partners
to expand Telelatino's customer base across the country."

Telelatino Television Network is a privately-held company offering
Canadians a variety of domestic and international programming in
Italian, Spanish and English. The service is available to over three
million cable households and is also distributed via Direct-to-Home
satellite.

Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified Canadian communications
company whose core business is providing cable television services to
approximately 1.5 million customers, representing about 20 percent of
the Canadian market.

DIGITAL

Norsat
"considers options" following legal defeat

Norsat International's Canadian consumer products division had
been offering U.S. DTH systems as part of its product line. This is
illegal, ruled the Federal Court of Canada last June (Sat-ND,
10.7.97.) The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the ruling.

"Numerous options remain open to us at this point," said
Norsat's President and Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Chapman. "We
are weighing all of the alternatives and, depending on how the
situation evolves, expect to have decided on a course of action
within the next few days."

NII Norsat International Inc. is a diversified technology company
specialising in the design and manufacture of satellite and cable
communications equipment for commercial applications, which it sells
through its offices in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and China, and
through a global network of more than 35 distributors.

Ironically, Norsat's Aurora unit also distributes reception
equipment for the Canadian DTH-system StarChoice [that is, if that
project is still alive.] According to earlier press releases,
StarChoice should by now offer customers more than 100 channels of
quality programming. Star Choice Television Network Incorporated is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of New Brunswick-based Star Choice
Communications Inc. [Potatoes from New Brunswick?]

WACKY
NEWS

Football
world cup boosts dish sales

The 1998 football [soccer] World Cup to take place next June in
France will attract TV viewers all around the globe, but those who
live in the vicinity of a new stadium built near Paris may not be
able to receive anything at all.

The new stadium's facilities turned out to interfere with
terrestrial TV broadcasts, as technical checks have now confirmed.
Reportedly, some 1,000 homes located within a few hundred metres a
the Stade de France are affected.

Some residents who fear the interference cannot be corrected in
time have meanwhile begun buying satellite dishes. As the digital
craze is rather advanced in France, they should consider buying a
set-top box as well.

PLUGGING

Asian
satellite reference

Mark Long told me that his "MLESat has just introduced a
new satellite reference for the Asia/Pacific region called the
Asia/Pacific Satellites On Disk Library."

A demo version of this new product is available at MLEsat's web
site. "MLESat provides a wealth of educational materials on
satellite TV and related technologies, including a variety of on-line
tutorials and references for the free personal use of web site
visitors. MLESat also publishes computer software, satellite
reference books, educational videotapes, and home study
correspondence courses as well as conducts training seminars for
corporations and organizations in the Asia/Pacific region."